Dr. Gullo

The ABCs of Mood Driven Eating: Avoiding Boredom & Comfort Food Choices

Emotional eating is one of the most pervasive and overwhelming issues for dieters to deal with. The number one emotion that drives people to eat is not what you may think and what people choose to eat is not what you may believe. Behavioral Nutrition is the emergent field that is the second revolution which focuses on understanding the interactions between human behavior, dietary choices, and their food history. Behavior comes before Nutrition!

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In a world often overshadowed by criticism and negativity, the power of compliments shines like the warmth of the sun, offering warmth, encouragement, and connection. From a simple and sincere: "You look great today", to a heartfelt acknowledgment of someone's talent or character, compliments possess a unique tremendous ability to uplift spirits and foster positivity in both the giver and the receiver.

Compliments are more than just kind words; they are expressions of appreciation and recognition. When we take the time to compliment someone, we not only make them feel good about themselves but also demonstrate our own capacity for empathy and kindness. It says I see you. I notice you. I appreciate you. I respect you. In a society that often emphasizes competition and comparison, compliments remind us of the importance of lifting each other up and celebrating one another's successes and strengths.

Compliments have power and an effect, like a gently tossed pebble into a lake, the result is an ever extending ripple. When we receive a compliment, it boosts our self-esteem and confidence, motivating us to continue striving for excellence and making positive contributions to the world around us. Likewise, when we give compliments freely and sincerely, we create a ripple of positivity that extends far beyond the initial interaction, brightening the lives of those we encounter along the way.

While we look outward to compliment our loved ones, our families, our friends our colleagues, it is also important to look inward. On the journey of weight control, health, and life we cannot forget ourselves and the way we speak to our inner person.

Complimenting ourselves is a crucial practice that nurtures self-love, confidence, and resilience. In a society often fixated on self-improvement and comparison, taking the time to acknowledge our own strengths, achievements, and unique qualities is essential for cultivating a positive self-image and inner happiness. By recognizing and appreciating our own worth, we reinforce our self-esteem and sense of self-worth, empowering us to navigate life's challenges with grace and resilience. Moreover, self-compliments serve as a powerful reminder that we are deserving of love, respect, and kindness, both from others and from ourselves. In a world where external validation is often fleeting, learning to compliment ourselves fosters a deep sense of self-assurance and fulfillment that radiates from within. So let us embrace the importance of self-compliments as a cornerstone of self-care and personal growth, honoring the unique beauty and value that resides within each of us.

Sweet Talk: Unpacking Food Infused Endearments

Snickerdoodle, Dumpling, Sweetie-pie, Cupcake, Honeybun, Sugar plum, Édesem (“my sweet” in Hungarian), Kochanie (“honey” in Polish). What food nicknames or terms of endearment have you heard or do you use or…refuse to answer to? 🤓 Comment below.

Isn’t it fascinating that culturally and globally it is in the nature of humanity to connect their love with a savory, delicious, food-related expression or experience? Cupcake endearingly refers to someone who is a small, sweet treat evoking images of cuteness, charm, and a sprinkle of surprise and a sugar rush.

Food is a universal experience that transcends national, cultural and language boundaries and barriers. No matter which corner of the earth we are from - Italy where you call your lover Dolcezza (sweetness) to Denmark where you gaze at your Snoepje (little candy). When we use food-related terms of endearment, we access this shared yet unique experience to each palate, making our expressions of love more relatable, inclusive and stirring.

Behavioral Nutrition represents an approach to sustainable weight-loss that emphasizes individual differences in food behavior and the implementation of specific strategies to navigate the modern food environment effectively. This approach seeks to incorporate evidence from diverse disciplines, including behavioral economics, habit psychology and neuroscience, and provide individuals with weight-control advice that is sustainable and effective. Reliance is placed upon strategy rather than willpower, advises against the moderate consumption of problematic foods, and introduces effective strategies to combat persistent food-based advertising and destructive attitudes and beliefs surrounding consumption.

Can we connect Behavioral Nutrition to Snickerdoodle? In his book; “Thin Tastes Better”, Dr. Stephen Gullo refers to “The Lure of Food Baby Talk.” When faced with craving and feelings of deprivation, most dieters slide straight back into childhood – and the language that goes with it. “But it’s my favorite.” “It’s not fair that I can’t have it.” “But I’ve been so good.” For many patients, this is the only area in their life still run by childhood patterns of thinking and conditioning. Just as a computer needs periodic updates to function at an optimal level and process the programs that the users need for their work, so too we need to update our thinking and the messages we tell ourselves.

Perhaps we can learn from these cultures:
Mon petit chou - My little cabbage (French)
Chuchuzinho - Pumpkin (Brazil/Portuguese)
Tamago gata no kao - Egg with eyes (Japanese)

Diets are only words on a page, Behavioral Nutrition is about ending the problem.

Please join my dear friend and esteemed colleague Laura Frontiero tonight live on FB at 5:30 PT as she explains how the caloric model of weight control has led millions of people to failure, and outlines the steps needed to take back control of your weight and waistline.

Join me tonight live on FB at 5:30 PST. I'm talking about how counting calories doesn't work! 95% of dieters fail and 'caloric thinking' is one of the main problems! I learned this from my mentor

http://ow.ly/KKFH30louoM "Eating habits are forged over a lifetime and are influenced by a multitude of factors from all levels of society including biological, economic, physical, social and psychological determinants. The assumption that most people would replace unhealthy dietary components in light of new research is overly optimistic." Via ScienceDaily JACC Journals - Journals of the American College of Cardiology

Policy changes can help ease roadblocks to a healthy diet: Review examines factors that influence diet and strategies that can lead to improvement Diet modification can be a vital step to prevent cardiovascular disease. While various biological, economical, physical, social and psychological factors influence food choices, interventions targeting these factors can lead to meaningful improvements in long-term eating habits.

http://ow.ly/T01T30lo6MQ If people could follow any of these simple diet tips no one would need to diet. Eat real foods? Eat everything in moderation? Stop when you're full? Take the advice to enjoy foods in moderation. Hello? Dieters can't eat moderately. People who can eat moderately have no need of the diet field. The advice to eat all foods in moderation dismisses the realities of human behavior, human experience, and human vulnerability. This 'advice' is all about how we should behave. Dieters know how they should behave. But how do they really behave in the world of food? Via MDLinx

Five simple tips to follow for dieting success For many, just the idea of losing weight can be discouraging. With the endless advice and trends that exist today, configuring a nutritious diet to lose weight and maintain it can be challenging. “We live in a society that believes lower-calorie food means more weight loss and ultimately...

http://ow.ly/CnMz30lhXKh Taking one step further, Dr Jordan B Peterson and daughter tell The Times and The Sunday Times that the Carnivore Diet fixed their health woes, including depression. Putting aside the diet's supposed health benefits, which haven't been demonstrated in human clinical trials, can any diet be good for your health is you don't stick with it? Restrictive diets have low long term success rates because they fail to address the most critical element needed for success at any diet. That's element is YOU, and your own unique history with food. The sense of missing out, of feeling deprived, of being told, "you can't eat this," are the leading reasons why so many people fail again and again at dieting.

Carnivore diet: Jordan Peterson and his daughter, Mikhaila, say eating only beef cured their depression For those familiar with the world of Jordan Peterson, it may come as no surprise that he is a red-blooded carnivore. I do not mean that as some kind of intellectual metaphor. Yes, the Canadian...

http://ow.ly/yNee30laqAz Scientifically supported diet advice is nice but means little if the "advice" doesn't deal with the reality of human behavior. "Getting smarter about weight loss" isn't about calories in versus calories out. Most dieters know that if they eat more than they burn off they will gain weight. Getting smarter about dieting starts with knowing your food history, using strategy over willpower, ditching the failed concept of all foods in moderation, and finding great tasting light substitutes for the high calorie foods you love. If it were simply a matter of calories in versus calories out or being more active, we could all go out and find the latest diet book du jour and be thin in two weeks. Via HealthDay News

Science-Based Diet Tips That Really Work There's no shortage of good diet advice, but the following tips have scientific research to support them.

http://ow.ly/w64G30laq49 Yes, the Portfolio, or plant-based diet can reduce cardiovascular disease risk, but will you stick with it? Healthy diets like these fall into what I call the "great science, lousy psychology" category. No diet is really healthy if you don't stick with it. For many dieters, the call to health is a secondary consideration. Plant-based diets may offer short-term benefits but most dieters will find them all but impossible to adhere to long-term. Via The Economic Times

Why you should opt for the portfolio or plant-based diet to reduce risk of heart disease Dietary and lifestyle modifications can enable patients to manage high cholesterol and cardiovascular risk.

http://ow.ly/RG1530l8PNB New study suggests that among its many other benefits, the Mediterranean Diet may also help improve psoriasis symptoms. The Mediterranean Diet's high proportions of anti-inflammatory foods, including fruits, vegetables, fish, and olive oil, could reduce chronic systemic inflammation. In the study, people who adhered most closely to the Mediterranean Diet were 22 percent less likely to have severe psoriasis. The researchers also found an association between psoriasis severity and several other factors associated with overweight and obesity, including BMI, smoking, activity levels, heart disease, high triglycerides, high blood pressure, diabetes and depression. Via Reuters JAMA Dermatology ,

Mediterranean diet might help ease psoriasis (Reuters Health) - The Mediterranean diet might do more than help ward off heart disease, it may also help improve psoriasis, a new study suggests.

http://ow.ly/CtXS30l8OVT Study finds that a diet that encourages both healthy eating and physical activity while discouraging alcohol consumption reduces overall cancer risk, and especially lowers breast, prostate, and colorectal cancer risks. Great news, except for one thing: how do you define a healthy diet? No food, no matter how seemingly healthy, will do much good if you eat too much of it. These sorts of basic weight loss prescriptions do little to address the underlying cause of most weight gain. These study results are a classic example of how we should behave versus how we really behave. Of course, we should eat healthy, exercise and cut alcohol consumption. But if things were that simple we could all follow this diet and be thin in two weeks. Via ScienceDaily

Adherence to healthy diets associated with lower cancer risk: An analysis of four nutritional scores showed biggest benefit from diet that discourages alcohol A diet that encourages both healthy eating and physical activity and discourages alcohol consumption was associated with a reduced overall cancer risk, as well as lower breast, prostate, and colorectal cancer risks.

http://ow.ly/bXqM30l6bEK What is intuitive eating and would it work for you?
Intuitive eating has been described as the process of making decisions about food based on what your body needs, and, sometimes, what it wants. It was designed to help people deal with the effects of chronic dieting.

The problem with intuitive eating is that it doesn't provide the very thing most dieters need: structure. There are no guidelines to follow, no eliminations, or restrictions to adhere to. All of this might seem great, but for those working in the field, one of the biggest challenges is reining in years of our of control eating behavior. Take eliminations, as an example. If you have a long history of abusing cookies or baked goods then following an approach that doesn't place guidelines on this type of food is setting you up for failure. It's not that you can't have cookies. You can have anything you want. But if you return to cookies you may never have the life you want. My patients who have a long history of abusing cookies or other baked goods think substitution, not deprivation. They find a low calorie substitute for their favorite high calorie food that gives them the taste they crave but is unlikely to be abused.

So, be my guest if you want to try intuitive eating. But please remember that anyway of eating that doesn't first consider you, and your own unique history with food, is destined to fail. Via Elite Daily

Here's The Best Way To Approach Your Meals If You're Absolutely Sick Of Dieting Is it just me, or has eating has become much more complicated than it has to be? Normally I’d tell you to think about how many different styles of eating exist in the world, but a quick scroll through Twitter or Instagram will do the grunt work for y…

http://ow.ly/kdxU30kU91j Kelly Clarkson says this diet changed her life. Want to know how she succeeded where so many others have failed? Click the link to find out what she told Entertainment Tonight

Kelly Clarkson's Diet That She Says Changed Her Life: Everything You Need to Know! (Exclusive) ET sat down with the man behind 'The Plant Paradox,' Dr. Steven Gundry, who gave us tips to a healthier diet.

http://ow.ly/3VUd30kU4oq Health crisis looming in NYC with obesity, diabetes, and depression rates rising, according to Nychealth . Studies published in “The Journal of Urban Health,” which analyzes the health and well-being of city dwellers,
found the following six problems the most vexing to New Yorkers:
Obesity
Diabetes
Depression
Mercury levels among adults
Relationship between sleep patterns and sexual orientation
Gender and race disparities in cardiovascular risk factors
Obesity rates, as an example, increased from 27.5 percent to 32.4 percent over a ten-year time period, nearly mirroring national obesity rates. The obesity rate increase was most prevalent among black and latino men. The study found that less educated people are also more likely to be obese. The one silver lining: adult mercury levels are declining thanks to lower fish consumption. Via PIX 11

Studies show rise in rate of obesity, diabetes and depression in NYC NEW YORK — Obesity, diabetes, depression and other serious health issues are on the rise in NYC, according to the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. Researchers from the NYC Health Department and the NYU school of Medicine published a series of studies Tuesday, regarding the he...

http://ow.ly/9PKd30kThx0 Even if the Nordic Diet is "healthier" than the Mediterrean Diet, it won't mean much if people don't stick with it. Health is a secondary consideration for most dieters. The majority just want to fit into their clothes. Dieters don't need more nutritional analysis of food. They don't need to know more about the healthiest foods. The 70 percent of overweight and obese people in this country aren't getting sick from a lack of nutrition knowledge. They're getting sick from the effects of being overweight. Via NowThis News

Nordic Diet Healthy Alternative To Mediterranean Diet …

http://ow.ly/j4gQ30kRb1u Study finds that consuming a broth rich in umami - a Japanese word that expresses a delicious savory meal - can cause subtle changes in the brain that promote healthy eating behaviors and food choices, especially in women at risk of obesity. Via ScienceDaily American College of Neuropsychopharmacology

Savory foods may promote healthy eating through effects on the brain Researchers have found that consuming a broth rich in umami -- or savory taste -- can cause subtle changes in the brain that promote healthy eating behaviors and food choices, especially in women at risk of obesity.

The advice to eat a few nuts to improve health falls under the “great nutrition but lousy psychology” category. How many people can eat the recommended daily amount and stop? Dieters frequently abuse nuts. And for anyone with a history of overeating nuts, this “health” advice can quickly add thousands of calories. When it comes to adding a food to your diet, no matter how healthy it may seem, always ask yourself first, “what is my history with this food?” No food will be healthy if you eat too much of it.

http://ow.ly/pUkO30kPfRC Study suggests that a nut-rich diet can improve heart health, boost male fertility, improve appetite control, and lower colon cancer rate. But how many people can eat just a few nuts and stop? Most dieters eat nuts by the handful. The advice to eat nuts to improve health won't do much good if dieters eat too many of them. This study falls under the "great science, lousy psychology" category. Before adding nuts, or any food to your healthy diet regimen, always ask yourself, "what is my history with this food." You won't be very healthy if your "healthy" choice leads to weight gain. Via AJC ***mcount

Eating nuts boosts s***m count and improves male fertility, study suggests A diet rich in nuts has been associated with a healthy heart, improved appetite control, and even lower colon cancer rate. Now, research says eating nuts may also improve male fertility.

Scales don't keep people thin. Every overweight person owns a scale. Instead of always checking your weight, how about weighing the behaviors that lead to most weight gain?

http://ow.ly/vvs130kFjYv "For many, many people, weight loss diets will fail. The important thing to remember is that it's not you, it's them." Indeed, you haven't failed at dieting; dieting has failed you. The diet industry is the only industry in the history of capitalism where most of the clients fail. Via SELF

Why Weight Loss Diets Fail Hint: It's not you, it's them.

http://ow.ly/oxAq30kEUr7 Whether you describe the scourge of childhood obesity as "epidemic" or "endemic," there's nothing more important for lifelong weight control than safeguarding your home food environment. If you're worried about childhood obesity, and you should be, and want to instill healthy eating habits, first clean up your home. Via The Telegraph

The curse of childhood obesity begins at home Epidemic” is exactly the wrong word to describe the problem with childhood obesity.

http://ow.ly/rpMo30kwxl If President Donald J. Trump's first wife, Ivana Trump, really wants to fight adult obesity she should start first with her ex-husband who is medically obese. Via WISC-TV / Channel 3000 CNN

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http://ow.ly/Obqt30ktV9n New research suggests improving the quality of the average American'sdiet could substantially reduce costs associated with major health problems such as heart disease, diabetes and cancer. A nice idea in theory but will it work in practice? The average American dieter makes 4-5 weight loss attempts annually. 95% of dieters regain all of the weight they lose, no matter what diet they follow. Improving diet quality would help, but only if we can people stick with their diets in the first place. Via EurekAlert! American Society for Nutrition

Improving Americans' diets could save billions in health-related costs New research suggests improving the quality of the average American's diet could substantially reduce costs associated with heart disease, diabetes, cancer and other major health problems. The study is the first to comprehensively analyze the potential cost implications of improved adherence to heal...

http://ow.ly/xkHx30ktlHd After briefly leveling off, U.S. obesity rates appear to climbing again, according to a preliminary study. If nothing changes, researchers say that 80% of Americans will be overweight or obese by 2030, including 50% of all teenagers, and 33% of kids between ages 6 and 11. Via U.S. News and World Report HealthDay News

U.S. Obesity Rates Rising Again US News is a recognized leader in college, grad school, hospital, mutual fund, and car rankings. Track elected officials, research health conditions, and find news you can use in politics, business, health, and education.

http://ow.ly/nAn030ksQUJ A couple that diets together stays together. According to a study of 1,000 people about which diets most strained relationships and how many people followed their significant other's dieting habits, couples who didn't diet together were found to be less satisfied in their relationships than those who did. Via PopSugar

Study Says Couples Who Eat Healthy Together, Stay Together An interesting look at dating and dieting.

http://ow.ly/5aZ130klRWE Pegan Diet? There are 108 million dieters in the US. Up to 97% gain back all the weight they lose. Hello? How about coming with a diet that people can stick to? When will the 'experts' finally get it? People don't need more nutritional knowledge. They need more habit knowledge. We know all we need to know about healthy nutrition and millions and still dying from the effects of being overweight. Via Reader's Digest

Pegan Diet: What You Need to Know About the Diet Mashup | Reader's Digest This combination of the vegan and paleo diets could be the answer to your dieting woes. Here's everything you need to know about the pegan diet.